Sunday Best
by suddzero
Summary: Or in which Ponyboy learns to never take Soda, Steve, or Two-Bit to Church with him ever again.


**Just a story I decided to write after rereading 'The Outsiders' by S. E. Hinton. During one part Ponyboy was talking about how his first day at a Church went when he brought Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit and I thought that would just be too hilarious to write about, so I did. **

**DISCLAIMER- ****_I DON'T OWN ANY CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY NOR THE OUTSIDERS._**

* * *

There are three things that Ponyboy Curtis has vowed to never, under any circumstances, _ever_ do again.

Those things are:

3) Leave Two-Bit, Steve, or Sodapop alone with nothing to do.

2) Go to church with Two-Bit, Steve, or Sodapop, and

1) Go to church _period._

See, the Friday before, one boy in Ponyboy's Science class that he didn't like nor really hated had asked him if he could come to his church as a visitor, and since he had never actually been to a church, he agreed. The Saturday after, Pony asked Johnny to go, which he agreed, and now, this Sunday, while waking up and getting dressed in his _non-dirty, non cigarette-smelling,_ tuff-looking sunday best, Pony honestly thought that letting(more like _begging_) Sodapop to go with him and Johnny to the church would be a good thing.

But _Soda_ only agreed to go if _Steve_ went, and _Steve_ only agreed to go if _Two-Bit_ went, and by that time, Ponyboy _really_ should've just said never-mind and went on without the trio, but he didn't want to spend his first real experience at a church with only Johnny, he wanted the whole gang to be there with him. Well, that and the (probable) reason that he wasn't using his head(like Darry, who couldn't go with them because he had work, always said).

So now, here the five greasers were, walking to the church Pony had been asked to visit. All of them(well, more like only Pony and Johnny) practically beaming with joy and excitement,at least, until Steve said, "Hey maybe we can get Dally to come with us. I bet he could get a laugh outta this."

Pony's face sunk, not so much that anyone could notice though. He didn't hate Dally, he just felt...uncomfortable around him. But before he could say something to Steve, Soda replied.

"Steve, you must be out of your _mind_. Dally would start carin' about church the same time Two-Bit stopped lootin' something out of any store he came across."

At this everyone laughed.

"Well, still, he's a part of the gang, and as you said Pony, you want as many people in the gang goin' with you, so it wouldn't hurt to just go and _ask_ if he wants to come."

Two-Bit and Soda more or less said yes and Johnny murmurered an agreement and before he knew it, Ponyboy was beside Johnny, trailing behind the trio as they joked and laughed about God-knows-what.

* * *

"You want me to go _where_?"

The five boys were scattered around in Dally'room in Bucky's house as the blond looked at Two-Bit, who asked the question.

Dallas Winston was hung over out of his mind. He had a pretty huge headache, and looked about ready snap Two-Bit's neck. Soda and Steve were messing around with a couple of darts and a dartboard hanging on the wall, Johnny was seated on the edge of Dally's bed trying hard not to crack a smile at how stupidly amazed the duo were over a colorful dartboard, and Ponyboy was just standing in a corner behind Two-Bit looking about as awkward as humanly possible.

Two-Bit just smiled and ignored the seething look Dally was currently giving him.

"You heard what I said. You should come, it'll be _really_ fun."

At that Dally just raised an eyebrow, "Really Two-Bit?"

"Yeah, Dally. It'll be_ nice_. Besides, I heard Church girls have some really nice a-"

"Shut it Steve," Soda said, noting how more uncomfortable Ponyboy looked as the conversation continued.

"Well I'm just _saying',_"

"Well _quit_ saying,"

Two-Bit and Pony laughed at the duo along with Johnny and Dally asked,

"Shoot Two-Bit, when was that church supposed to start?"

"Oh, well, around," he looked at his wristwatch, "twenty minutes."

"_What_? The church's almost_ halfway_ across town. _How are we going to make it there in time_?"

"Well,_ I_ suggest you start runnin'," Dally answered.

"You coming?" Steve asked.

"Nope. Not today, sorry Pony. Maybe next time." Everyone knew that was a lie, but no one had time to say anything about it.

Soda and Steve put down the darts and fast as lighting the five were gone.

* * *

"You sure this is the right place Pony?"

"Yes, he gave me the right directions. I'm sure of it."

"It looks Soc-y to me. Didn't you say that your class was filled with Socs Pony?"

"No. Well, _yes_ but-"

"_Shhh_! Shut it you three."

"What's wrong Johnnycakes? Its not like anyone can hear us."  
"Yeah well-"

The two stopped arguing the second Ponyboy opened the long, brown, double doors to the huge white church.

All five of them stared ahead in awe.

There were purple, white, and brown pews and pillars everywhere. Various statues and stained glass paintings rimmed the church and windows, a ton of different, well-dressed men and women walked around, talking and getting in seats. Some eyeing the bunch as if they were hoodlums, which, compared how everyone else looked, they probably were.

"Hey Ponyboy," a blond haired boy wearing a nice small black and white suit, maybe a year older than him, said walking up to Ponyboy, "you're just in time. They're about to start."

"H-hey," Pony replied, looking around sheepishly. Soda and Steve had went up and started talking to two girls, Two-Bit was messing with something he more than likely shouldn't have been, and Johnny had shrunk back into a corner, trying hard to not be noticed.

"Where are you going to sit?"

"Umm, I don't know..."

"Wanna come sit with me?" The boy pointed to a place in the front row where he saw a man and lady talking to one another, presumably his parents.

"I would like to, but I have to stay wherever my brother is," Pony lied.

"Oh. Well, after Church I'll come and get you so I can introduce you to my parents."

"That sounds great. Bye."

"Alright. Bye"

Pony walked away from the boy and beside Johnny, who looked like he had seen a ghost.

"What's wrong?"

"Y-you never told me there were going to be _this many_ people there."

"I didn't know either really Johnny, then again this _is_ Church."

"Right...Where's Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit? We should get a seat now shouldn't we?"

"Yeah."

Ponyboy and Johnny went around looking for Two-Bit(who they found in the men's bathroom stuffing as many mints into his pockets as he could), Soda(who was _really_ hitting it off with this girl), and Steve(who was writing and doodling in the Visitor's book that showed recent people that visited this Church and what church they usually went to) before heading into the main part of the Church where the Choir was starting to sing loud songs.

They made their way into the very last row of seats on the left and all sat down, listening to the Choir.

It was all pretty good, and Pony thought everything was going to go well.

Sadly, he was wrong.

_So very wrong._

* * *

Barely twelve minutes after the Choir stopped singing, Soda started squirming, and honestly Pony wasn't really that surprised-_Sodapop couldn't sit still to save his life,_ but it was only after he started to talk to Steve that Pony got worried.

Not to soon after, the duo were laughing and pointing at God-knows-what, and annoying the people in the row in front of them.

After a while Two-Bit leaned over to the duo and told them to shut it, but Steve whispered something in his ear which made him look forward before ducking down behind the row in front of him to start cracking up to, which earned quite some eyes looked at the five greasers.

Johnny sighed and Pony just looked like he wanted to knock out the trio right then and there.

* * *

It was about thirty minutes in and Pony was sure he was going to die of embarrassment. Soda and Steve had started talking(*cough*harassing*cough*) to two girls in the row ahead of them while Two-Bit had hollowed out a pen he found _somewhere_ and was using money envelopes he found in the back shelves of the second to last row of seats to make spit balls that he shot at _everyon_e. One had even hit this mean looking old lady in the front row who instantly looked back at Two-Bit and made him sink back in his seat.

Soda and Steve had laughed at him when that happened which ended in them getting shot at with spit balls and before Pony knew, the entire last three rows were being filled with spit balls flying through the air, created by none other than Sodapop Curtis, Steve Randle, and Two-Bit Mathews.

Johnny was trying best he could to duck and dodge them with two hand-held sunflower shaped fans he found and Ponyboy was holding his extremely red face in his hands trying to not associate himself with _any_ of them.

The SpitBall Battle continued all throughout Offering, and Birthday/ Anniversary Appreciation and right on into the Holy Word.

And while Pony thought it couldn't get worse, it _did_.

Right in the middle, wjile the Preacher was talking from his Bible into the microphone a loud _'BOOM' _was heard.

_The sound of a Hymn Book about the size of a freaking Encyclopedia hitting the ground._

And it_ echoed._

At that,_ everyone in the church _turned and looked at the last row of seats on the left.

Johnny was as pale as a ghost, same for Ponyboy(except for his face, which was as red as could be).

Soda stopped and looked at the crowd, slowly sinking back into his seat.

Steve looked like a deer in a headlight.

Two-Bit, who had his back turned to the crowd however, just turned back around.

He smiled and gave a whole-hearted wave.

"_Howdy_," he said.

And the duo busted out laughing.

* * *

"So wait _What happened again Ponyboy_?"

"Nothing Darry."

Said teen looked at the boy who was glaring daggers at Soda.

"Come on Pony._ I said I was Sorry_!"

"So? What you did was ridiculous."

"It wasn't my fault. You were laughing too!"

"No, I wasn't."

"What did you _do_ Soda?"

Said boy looked at Darry and smiled.

"Its a _long_ story actually..."

Darry sat down on the couch in the living room next to Soda and Ponyboy, "I got time. So shoot."

"Well then, Do you want to know from the very beginning or just after we got to the church?"

* * *

**:D**

**So that's that. I really liked writing that. Did you guys like it?**

**I still need help with characterization, but I liked how this came out. :)**

_**Please Fave and Review! Constructive Criticism Welcomed!**_


End file.
